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Steve Azola has played bass since the age of twelve, and loves the instrument. In his late teens he began modifying and eventually building basses to meet his own particular needs and tastes. His lutherie skills and techniques developed through the years, as he completed projects satisfying himself and fellow bass players. He learned everything he could from the examples of other builders he admired.
Steve earned a living as a respected craftsman in the field of fine automobile and motorcycle restoration. Many prestigious awards were won in the Concours circuit, mostly in the European classes (Mercedes, Ferrari, etc.). The demand for absolute perfection instilled in Steve the high quality standards he strives for today. As a motorcycle enthusiast, he performed the same magic on European bikes (Ducati, Moto Guzzi, BMW, etc.), and yes, sometimes Harleys too. You know, there's an awfully strong link between bikes and bassists...and bass builders.
About sixteen years ago, Steve mentioned to his wife, Jill, that if he ever came across a vintage Ampeg Baby Bass, he'd sell one of his motorcycles to make it his. He'd seen one in a store window as a kid, and just thought it was too cool. Sure enough, he got his hands on a black five-string (and yes, there was a motorcycle involved). Once he'd had the Baby a while, and he started to really talk to people about it, he decided that there just might be some demand for a modern version of the classic Baby Bass. He thought the proper thing to do first was to obtain Ampeg's authorization. After that was done, he worked out his design concept, built a prototype and took it to a NAMM show - to the delight of many bassists who also remembered the vintage Ampeg. (If you could have seen the looks on their faces that first year!) And so the Azola Baby Bass was born. Boy, was that fun.
Time went on, and people began asking for a smaller bodied, economically priced alternative to the cello-sized Baby. So Azola developed the MiniBass. Soon the wheels were really turning, and Steve thought, "Well, what would Leo do if he wanted more people to be able to get into the upright thing?". Make it simple, make it functional, make it durable, make it affordable - make it possible for almost everyone who wants one to own one (like a VW Bug!). Open the doors to electric upright bass playing. And the BugBass was introduced.
The whole retro thing was hitting big around that time, and Ampeg decided to join the re-issue craze with a couple of classic basses, including the Baby. They'd seen what Azola was capable of, and invited them to manufacture the official re-issue Ampeg Baby Bass. So things came full circle, and Azola put Ampeg back on the headstock. Production of the re-issue Ampeg Baby Bass was limited, and the contract ended in 1999. Now, a "Vintage-Style" fiberglass bodied Baby with its magnetic diaphragm pickup system is once again available directly from Azola for a limited time only ... the last production run is scheduled for mid-2008.
In response to requests from the Latin community, Azola continued to perfect pickup systems and accessories that emulated the necessary percussive "thump", while offering increased tonal versatility, so that all available body styles could be used in a wide variety of musical contexts.
As is the habit of luthiers, Steve always experimened with new ideas, continually stretching himself. Several years ago he became really inspired by the great jazz guitar builders. Perhaps something to do with his Italian heritage? The beauty of the D'Angelico, D'Aquisto, and Benedetto guitars really spoke to him. So he decided to build a bass along those lines. The Deco Bass was Steve's way of honoring the pioneers of this truly American art form.
The real violin-making techniques involved in traditional bass building were demonstrated most dramatically in the Ultracoustic BugBass and the Ultracoustic Baby Bass. These instruments were absolute labors of love, and entailed a whole lot of serious carving, shaping, and fitting - just like a carved big bass, but slightly smaller physically. There was a corresponding price tag, which, unfortunately, didn't fit everyone's budget for an upright.
In an effort to make these basses more accessible, (ie. bring the price down a snudge), laminated versions of the Ultracoustic Baby Bass and MiniBass were developed for plywood enthusiasts. This series was enthusiastically embraced by students and seasoned professionals alike.
The Floating Top BugBass (later known as the Scarab)was Azola's answer to those who needed the portability, ruggedness, and affordability of a BugBass, but desired the most authentic acoustic upright sound possible. With Clevinger's authorization, Azola expanded the Floating Spruce Top concept - adding a whole new dimension to the capabilities of the BugBass form. However, once the Tru-Acoustic pickup system was introduced, the need for the Floating Top mechanism became somewhat obsolete - because the pickup worked so well on even the most simple solid-body instruments.
In recent years, the BugBass form was brought to its ultimate incarnation as a Limited Edition hollow-body in various exotic wood combinations, and in a fully carved hollow-body version with arched Spruce top and arched back.
For the heavily touring bassist, the Lightning Bug made its debut at the 2001 Winter NAMM. It was available in both solid and hollow versions, and fit (without *any* disassembly)into an SKB flight case only slightly larger than that of a bass guitar.
For the bass guitarist seeking to make the transition to upright as painless as possible, Azola developed the 34" scale length Gypsy, with inspiration from the wonderful Tony Banda. Amazingly compact and lightweight, it retained all the requisite upright attributes while delivering authentic sonic character.
In 2009, the Bambino was born to take the Gypsy concept to the next level for short-scale players. And then the Ampeg Baby Bass-type pickup system was incorporated into the Bambino design, resulting in the Latin Bambino which became a huge hit while still in its infancy.
Steve's first contribution to the acoustic/electric bass guitar fray was the hollow body Jazzman, with its comfortable shape, size and weight. The Spruce top, f-holes, and floating bridge give the Jazzman upright characteristics in an ergonomically familiar instrument for electric bassists.
2009's Jazzeau was a piezo-equipped hollow-body with the familiar and comfortable Jazz bass-type shape.
The Nouveau was an innovative addition to the acoustic/electric bass guitar line-up, introduced at Bass Day LA 2001. Its metamorphosis included several varieties to suit many different applications. A well-balanced, stylish, and extremely versatile instrument - it was another chance for Steve to express his individuality and make his mark in the crowded bass guitar field.
The Nouveau AE II was a true hollow-body with separate top, back, and sides and internal bracing which worked amazingly well.
Steve's wife, Jill, kept him fed, watered and focused, enabling him to develop and build over 1200 basses during the sixteen years that they worked together as a team. Because of her corporate marketing background (in the computer components field), she was the frontline Sales / Artist Relations / Customer Service person who became the public interface for Azola Basses. Because her life revolved around bass for almost twenty years, she confidently guided bassists through the decision-making process, kept them informed and comforted through the gestation period, and answered care and feeding questions after delivery.
The Azola bass family expanded and evolved dramaticaly as the years passed. Many heartfelt thanks to the bass playing community, and to the brotherhood of builders, who welcomed us warmly to the industry, encouraged us through it all, and who are being so supportive as our paths lead us in different directions today.
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